EU, Thailand Begin Negotiations for Free Trade Agreement

José Manuel Barroso, European Commission president, and Yingluck Shinawatra, Thailand’s prime minister, have launched negotiations for a free trade agreement between the European Union andThailand.

Karen De Gucht, EU Trade Commissioner, and Teriyapirom Boonsong, Thailand’s Minister of Commerce, had met earlier to formally agree on the start of negotiations.

The goal is to conclude a comprehensive agreement covering tariffs, non-tariff barriers and other trade-related issues, such as services, investment, procurement, regulatory issues, competition and sustainable development.

The first negotiating round is expected to take place this summer.

Separately, negotiations for a free trade agreement between the EU and Morocco kicked off this month.